


It's Christmas, I love you

by Significant_What



Series: and the sun so loved the moon [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Kissing, M/M, PJO Secret Santa 2k17, Slice of Life, arts and crafts, i guess canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 15:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13216311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Significant_What/pseuds/Significant_What
Summary: Nico doesn't handle arts and crafts, but Will does and Nico is in love.





	It's Christmas, I love you

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution to Tumblr's @pjosecretsanta2k17, this is my gift for @megagrandstudentjellyfish! Already posted this on Tumblr on the first available date, but here it is now, on ao3. Kudos and comments are very much appreciated!

Nico has glitter glue under his nails. And in his hair. And he’s pretty sure some got into his eyebrows, too.

He tries not to mind. He constantly looks away from his nails and makes a conscious decision to avoid reflective surfaces when he glances up. It’s not that hard, really – except for when he has to cut something and has to pay attention to his hands more in order to not cut himself. He barely manages to bite down a curse the third time this happens and he sees his nails again. It’s going to be hell trying to get all the glitter off.

Across the table Will has a permanent grin on his face. He’s wearing the horrible thing he calls his Christmas sweater that Cecil gifted him three years ago as a joke, and his hands work expertly on the different types of paper and glitter and glue like he was made for arts and crafts. (Being a son of Apollo, maybe he was.) The radio plays the third different version of _Jingle Bell Rock_ within two hours, and Will tosses his head around and sings along from the bottom of his heart.

Will can’t sing to save his life. Nico wants to go find earplugs. He’s also pretty sure he’s never loved or hated Will as much as he does right now.

”How many more of these do we have to make?” Nico asks, wondering if he could distract Will enough that he’d maybe forgot about the stupid Christmas cards. It sounds unlikely, but Nico would be willing to take the chance.

Will seems to go through some sort of mental checklist, then looks at the ready cards, sitting in neat piles by their empty mugs. ”I’d say maybe five or six more, maybe eight just in case I forgot someone.”

Nico sighs and looks at the stacks of crafting supplies. ”We’ve been doing this all day! I have glitter all over and I’m pretty sure I’ve cut my fingers more times than I’ve been stabbed.” He pouts, kicking his leg under the table and brushes Will’s ankle with his socked foot. The action is much more caring and patient than his voice. ”Who are we even sending these to? I wasn’t aware we knew this many people.”

Rolling his eyes, Will sets aside another perfectly crafted Christmas card with bells and snowflakes and reindeer and pushes his hair out of his face. No excess glitter anywhere. Nico is extremely jealous and also mildly pissed off. ”Well, Hazel and Frank, for starters. Cecil, Lou Ellen, Jason and Piper, Percy and Annabeth, Leo, my mom, Chiron, my dad, your dad, Austin and the rest of my cabin – ”

”Hold on, what was that?” Nico makes a time out sign with his hands and looks at Will like he’s grown a second head. ”We are sending out Christmas cards to our dads?”

”Yes?”

”Christmas cards. To our dads. To actual real life pagan gods.”

”Yes – ”

” _Seriously_ , Will?”

Will gets up with a sigh and picks up their mugs in the process. ”I’ve told you. It’s about the tradition, not the religion. It’s a nice gesture. Trust me, they won’t read too much into it.”

Nico watches as Will fills up their mugs with more hot chocolate and wonders if Will has officially lost his mind forever. ”Maybe your dad won’t, but _my_ dad? Wouldn’t be so sure.” He takes the scissors and uses the blade to try and get the silvery goo from his nails. ”I did tell you about that time Hazel talked about going to Sunday mass out of curiosity and dad flipped out, didn’t I?”

Will hums in response and adds whipped cream to their beverages. And sprinkles. And cinnamon waffle sticks. ”You did, but this is hardly the same thing. The cards don’t even mention Christmas.”

”I don’t think my dad cares if they say _merry Christmas_ or _happy holidays_ , Will.” Nico gives up with the scissors and tosses them across the table. They knock down a particularly neat card with a silhouette of a reindeer against the northern lights on it. ”It’s still a Christmas card, and Hades is very much _not_ a fan.”

Finally satisfied with the hot chocolates, Will turns to look at Nico. He places the refilled mugs on the table, then circles around it to where Nico sits and promptly lowers himself to sit on Nico’s lap, arms tangling past Nico’s shoulders and chests pressed together. No matter how annoyed Nico is, there’s no way he’s going to resist Will like this, ever. Perhaps that’s what Will is counting on. Nico can’t find it in himself to care that he’s being played, not when the player is such a handsome one.

”My boyfriend, the worrier”, Will mutters and presses a kiss on Nico’s forehead. The gesture is sweet, something Will has taken to as an everyday way of showing affection to Nico without using words. It melts Nico inside, just a little bit. ”Always thinking too much.”

Nico is about to argue, possibly something about it being impossible to worry too much about pissing off the gods. However, Will’s fingers choose that exact moment to start playing with the hairs at the back of Nico’s neck, and damn, Will’s good. How is it that he knows exactly what to do to get things his way with Nico? How is it that Nico doesn’t even really care that Will wins so easily?

Will leans down and catches Nico’s lips in a kiss that tastes like hot chocolate and peppermint sprinkles. Nico closes his eyes and his arms follow the familiar path to wrap themselves around Will’s waist, bringing their bodies closer and making him tilt his head a tiny bit back to make sure his lips stay connected with Will’s. Their noses brush together, and Nico’s is a little bit colder than Will’s, like it always is. Will is always so warm; it’s one of the perks of being the son of a sun god. Nico doesn’t mind one bit, especially on cold winter nights when their bodies press together under the covers. Or on December afternoons when Will sits in his lap and he manages to sneak his cold fingers under Will’s jumper.

”If you think that’s payback”, Will mutters against Nico’s lips when Nico’s fingers mimic the soft caresses of Will’s own, drawing patterns on the soft skin on Will’s lower back, ”then you should know me better than that. Your fingers are always cold. I’ve never had a problem with them before, now, have I?”

Nico hums in appreciation when one of Will’s fingers traces the hairline on his neck. ”It’s not payback”, he admits between their slow kisses. ”Maybe I’m merely trying to distract you.”

”Hmm, clever.” Will’s other hand tangles itself in Nico’s hair entirely, and he’s so warm, oh so warm. ”Very clever indeed.”

”Is it working?”

Nico feels the grin on Will’s lips before he opens his eyes and the mirth in Will’s. ”Not quite well enough, I’m afraid.” With a final peck on Nico’s lips Will leans back, but doesn’t yet get up from his lap. ”I don’t get why you think it’s such a big deal. It’s _just a card_. Surely your dad can’t read too much into it.”

Nico wants to argue. He really, really does. But he’s getting kind of tired of repeating himself, so he just groans and buries his face to Will’s chest because hey, it’s very conveniently _right there_. He feels Will’s laughter rumble against his forehead, and Will’s arms hug his head closer, and this is actually a very comfortable place to suffocate to death.

”Besides”, Will prompts, laughter still evident in his voice, and rests his chin on top of Nico’s head, ”what if, when we get married, we decide we want to have a traditional church wedding, hm? Are you saying your dad would disown you and not attend?”

That’s where Nico’s brain short circuits. Married? Wedding? He feels himself go rigid in Will’s hold, but he doesn’t raise his head. He can tell his face is beet red. His pulse picks up for a moment before he can get it under control.

Sure, they have been together for years. They’ve lived together for three years already. They’re adults, from a social point of view anyway, and they have got their lives togethter, more or less. In theory, the next assumed step to take is to get married, to settle down and start ”the next big chapter” as Jason put it in his speech in Percy and Annabeth’s wedding.

But Nico still can’t help but feel like this is all pretty sudden. He hasn’t given marriage a second thought, has he? Like, sure, when they were sitting at the reception at Percy’s wedding and he looked at Will, smiling and laughing and looking pretty damn good in a well fitted tux, Nico might have wondered if Will would want to wear one to their wedding, too. And okay, hearing from Jason about all the different choices he has to make concerning his wedding with Piper, about the location and the cake and the music… of course it makes Nico wonder a little what he would personally like. And maybe, just _maybe_ , he’s spared a thought or two to wonder if much would change, after all, if he and Will did one day get married.

It’s a terrifying line of thought. Not the part where Nico marries Will; that part is pretty obviously nice and exciting. But the part where he’s not even a little bit scared about it? About marriage, about binding himself to another human being for the rest of his life? _That’s_ the scary part.

And now, Nico isn’t even afraid of what Will would say, if one day in the not so far away future he would actually ask him.

Relaxing his muscles, Nico lifts his head just enough to press his face against the smooth skin of Will’s neck. ”Truth be told, I don’t know what he would do.” He gives a quick kiss to Will’s pulse point before propping his chin up on Will’s shoulder. ”But I don’t think we’ll find out by sending him a Christmas card.”

It’s not a proposal. It’s not even a real conversation about the possibility. They have barely even brushed the subject of marriage, but still Nico feels like there’s some kind of understanding between them now. There’s no pressure, if maybe a slight layer of expectation. Nothing to panic about, and certainly not a discussion to have at this moment. And that’s quite alright.

They sit in their little tangle for a while. Will plays with Nico’s hair again, and Nico runs his hands gently up and down Will’s back over the sweater. The radio plays an overly cheery recording of _Winter Wonderland_ , and the hot chocolate is getting cold on the table. Will hums along the radio. Nico is in love.

It isn’t until Nico starts losing the feel of his toes that he gently pats Will on the thigh and leans back. ”Okay, time to get back to it, then. My legs are falling asleep.”

”Is that your subtle way of telling me I should start dieting?” Will teases with a poor attempt of hurt in his voice, but does get up. Nico misses his warmth immediately.

Watching Will as he rounds the table to sit in his own chair again, Nico wonders what he did right in his past life to have a chance with someone like Will in this one. Or maybe it’s the Fates’ strange way of trying to balance out all the suffering in Nico’s youth, who knows. Whatever it is, Nico is definitely not one to complain.

”No”, he says and links his ankles with Will’s under the table and takes a sip of his now lukewarm hot chocolate, ”it’s my way of telling you that it better be one hell of a Christmas card if you intend to send it to my dad. He’s kind of picky when it comes to aesthetics.”

Will’s smile glitters more than Nico’s nails.


End file.
